Gunmen
opened fire in a busy mall in the German city of Munich on Friday
evening, killing at least eight people and sending shoppers running for
their lives in the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in
eight days.Authorities told
the public to get off the streets as the city - Germany's third biggest
- went into lockdown with transport halted and highways sealed off.A
police spokesman said up to three gunmen were on the run after the
initial shooting. The Bavarian capital was placed under a state of
emergency as police hunted for them and special forces deployed in the
city.

"We
are telling the people of Munich there are shooters on the run who are
dangerous," he said. "We are urging people to stay indoors."Police
said eight people had been killed and an undetermined number wounded. A
ninth body had also been found about 1 km (0.6 miles) from the scene
and they were checking to see it was one of the gunmen.Munich newspaper TZ said one of the shooters was dead. German news magazine Focus said a gunman had shot himself in the head.At the height of the incident, people in the Olympia shopping center either fled or sought to hide."Many shots were fired, I can't say how many but it's been a lot," said a shop worker hiding in a store room inside the mall.It
was the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe
in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by
the Islamic State militant group.A
police spokesman said there was no immediate indication that it was an
Islamist attack but it was being treated as a terrorist incident.Friday
is also the fifth anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik
in Norway in which he killed 77 people. Breivik is a hero for far-right
militants in Europe and America.German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the attack was not yet clear.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

EU gives Albania ultimatum over judicial reform

Albania must pass anti-corruption reforms of its
judiciary on Thursday (21 July) or sacrifice its hopes of starting
negotiations to join the EU, MEPs warned today (19 July).
The Thursday deadline is the last possible one, Johannes Hahn, the
Commissioner responsible for EU’s neighbourhood policy and enlargement,
told MEPs.
He spoke in a hastily organised session of the Parliament foreign
affairs committee, which also discussed the aftermath of the foiled
Turkish coup.
“We want to make sure that the legislation has teeth,” Hahn said. He
added that the EU institutions also needed time to monitor how the
reform worked.
It is widely assumed that if Albania passes the test, the December EU summit could decide to launch accession talks.
Albania obtained the status of EU candidate country in June 2014. The
next step of its path toward EU accession is starting accession
negotiations.
The country has disappointed its EU partners with its protracted
in-fighting between government and opposition. That has resulted in an
inability to pass legislation and encouraged to corruption and organised
crime.
The Albanian mafia is, according to various reports, becoming a major
threat to the EU. Statements in favour of a ‘Greater Albania’ are also
hardly conducive to the country’s rapprochement with the EU.

Attempt to create a protectorate?
EU and US diplomats have been seeking to convince MPs from the
opposition Democratic Party to back the proposed legislation, which is
aimed at reducing corrosive political influence on the judiciary.
An important element of the proposed legislation is that candidates
for judges and prosecutors would be vetted by an international committee
of EU and US officials.
A majority of 94 out of 140 MPs’ votes is necessary to pass the
reform, meaning that the vote of the Democratic Party is absolutely
needed.
The compromise proposal was delivered by US Assistant Secretary of
State Victoria Nuland, who visited Tirana this week as diplomatic
pressure on Albania escalated.
The Democratic Party has objected to the idea, arguing that it compromises Albania’s sovereignty.
Hahn said that arguement had come as a surprise. He repeated that
Thursday was the last possible deadline for passing the legislation,
adding that if there were no decision, there was the possibility of
holding a referendum. Reportedly, 90% of the population is in favour of a
comprehensive judicial reform.
Slovenian MEPs were particularly vocal in the debate.
MEP Ivo Vaigl (Slovenia, ALDE), said that Albanians should realise
how difficult EU enlargement has become, and that they should do their
utmost to catch “the last train” on Thursday.
Aloiz Peterle (Slovenia, EPP), argued that the EU had a “political
problem” with Albania, because the push for adopting the legislation was
interpreted as an attempt to create a protectorate.
Tanja Fajon (S&D, Slovenia), said as long as the main Albanian
negotiators were not assured of their “immunity, when it comes to life,
family and power base, in that order”, it would be “extremely difficult”
to achieve judicial reform.
Elmar Brok, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, said there
would be “telephone conversations in the next hours” with Albanian
politicians, to convey the message of the European parliament.
Hahn said the judicial reform in Albania had the potential to be an example for other countries in the region.
Serbia and Montenegro have already started accession talks, but
Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are lagging behind Albania
in their EU accession process.

More than a dozen Turkish navy ships are reportedly still at sea and remain unaccounted for following the botched military coup.

The commander of the Turkish navy Admiral Veysel Kosele also remains missing, having been out of contact since Friday evening.

It
is unclear if he was part of the coup attempt or if he is being held
against his will after local media reports said he was tricked into
boarding one of the missing ships after being told there was a terrorist
attack.

+4

More than a dozen Turkish navy ships
are reportedly still at sea and remain unaccounted for following the
botched military coup (file picture)

According to the Times, the 14 missing ships were on active duty in either the Aegean or Black Sea on Friday.

They have failed to return to their ports even though they are likely to be traceable through radar on satellite.

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It has prompted speculation that the ships may be on their way to Greek ports where the sailors will attempt to seek asylum.

The
Turkish government refused to comment on the but told the newspaper:
'We assess that there are sleeper cells that might try to hijack
helicopters or engage in other violent acts against peaceful
demonstrators and government buildings.'

Meanwhile
eight other military personnel who flew a helicopter to Greece amid the
coup have tried to claim asylum in the country.

Today they will appear before immigration authorities for interviews on their applications.

+4

Eight other military personnel who
flew a helicopter to Greece amid the coup have tried to claim asylum in
the country. One is pictured being led into a court in the Greek city of
Alexandroupolis

The eight were being interviewed today near the north-eastern city of Alexandroupolis.

One
of their lawyers has said they deny involvement in Friday's attempted
coup in Turkey, saying the helicopter had been used to transport wounded
and had come under fire from police, at which point they fled fearing
for their lives.

Turkey
is seeking their return and Greece has said their asylum applications
must be examined under international law, but the fact that they are
accused of participating in a coup would be taken into account.

The eight face trial on Thursday for illegal entry into Greece.

Meanwhile
the former Turkish air force chief Akin Ozturk has confessed to
prosecutors his role in plotting the coup that attempted to topple the
government over the weekend, the state-run Anadolu Agency reports.

General Ozturk was quoted as having told interrogators that he 'acted with intention to stage a coup'.

+4

Former Turkish air force chief Akin
Ozturk, centre, has confessed to prosecutors his role in plotting the
coup that attempted to topple the government

+4

General Ozturk was quoted as having told interrogators that he 'acted with intention to stage a coup'

Earlier
today officials accused of masterminding the uprising, including
Ozturk, were paraded on camera with their hands bound and ordered to
give their name and rank before being taken to be interrogated.

Photographs appeared to show several injuries to Gen Ozturk's head and upper body.

More
than 200 people were killed after a faction in the military launched
the coup attempt on Friday night, sealing off a bridge across the
Bosphorus, trying to capture Istanbul's main airport and sending tanks
to parliament in Ankara.

General Ozturk had earlier denied any involvement in the coup attempt and insisted he worked to stop it.

Turkish
president Tayyip Erdogan faced down the coup bid late on Friday by
elements in the military disgruntled with his 13-year rule.

However,
a a US-based Turkish cleric accused of plotting the coup to overthrow
the Ankara government has said President Erdogan staged the rebellion
himself to justify a major clampdown on opposition forces.

Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that there could be a link
between the pilots who shot down a Russian jet last November and the
Gulen movement, blamed for last week's failed coup attempt, and
suggested that foreign countries may have been involved in the attempt,
as well.

"Two
pilots who downed a Russian plane have been detained in connection
with the coup attempt. They could have links to Gulen organizatoin,
but we do not have clear evidence at this point, it will be established
by the court," Erdogan said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Erdogan also suggested that there may have been foreign countries
involved in the coup attempt that left nearly 300 people and hundreds
more injured.

"Other states could be behind this coup attempt. Gulenists have a
'supreme intelligence,' which could have plotted all this. The time will
come for all these links to be revealed."
The Gulen movement is led by religious and political figure Fethullah
Gulen, currently living in exile in Pennsylvania. The Turkish
government has accused him of being behind the failed coup attempt and
filed a formal extradition request with the US government. Turkey is
awaiting a decision.
While Ankara seeks to detain Gulen, Erdogan suggested that there is "another superior mind" above the Gulen movement leader.
As the Turkish government cracks down on those suspected of being
involved in last week's events, Erdogan has suggested that he will
approve the death penalty for mutineers if parliament approves. He also
stressed that the European Union must respect Turkey's wishes if capital
punishment is reinstated.

"I believe that this decision is up to the
people. If the people say this must be done, any country that believes
in democracy must respect this decision," Erdogan said. "We have been
knocking on the EU door for the past 53 years. They have made us wait
for 53 years. Many countries who came after us are already in."

On press liberties, Erdogan said he has never been anti-media,
but does not believe freedom of expression should be used as a weapon.
On Monday, a Turkish official speaking on condition of anonymity told
Bloomberg News that the pilots responsible for shooting down the
Russian jet had been arrested.
Speaking to Sputnik
on Wednesday, Dursun Cicek of Turkey's Republican People's Party warned
against drawing a connection between the the downing of the Su-24 and
last week's coup, since the pilots could not have acted without higher
orders.

"Therefore the pilot could not shoot without obtaining the relevant
permission. Could the pilot decide all by himself? Yes, he could, but in
any case, the shot was fired in line with the established legal norms,"
he said. "I think that is not right to link this incident with the coup
attempt."
The Russian Su-24 was shot down while flying through Syrian airspace
near the Turkish border on November 24. Following the incident, Russia
imposed a number of restrictive measures on Turkey and has repeatedly
said that Ankara should apologize for downing the plane and cover the
cost of any associated material losses to the country and the pilot's
family.
Erdogan send a letter of apology to Russian President Vladimir Putin late last month.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

With
the beginning of the heating season, the People's Republics proclaimed
in Donbass will be in a much better position than Ukraine where the
population is faceing a sharp increase in tariffs. Since prices have not
risen in the LDPR, this model may be attractive to other Ukrainian
regions.

It was stated by Alexander Dubinsky, the host of
oligarch Igor Kolomoisky's TV channel "1 + 1", on his page in the social
network.

'A few facts about the "reintegration"
of Donbass. Or rather, why it will never happen. Tariffs for utility
services for a standard 2-room apartment (with heating) are about 700
rubles per month, or $12. In Ukraine, they are about three times higher.

Tariffs for gas for households are roughly about 2.5 UAH per cubic meter. In Ukraine, they are about three times higher.

So, never. Another process is much
more probable. Namely, other regions joining Donbas. Look at all the
screens of the country from the beginning of the heating season,'
predicts Dubinsky.

Despite
the much-discussed failure of the coup attempt in Turkey, retired
Turkish Admiral Turker Erturk told Sputnik Turkiye that it has actually
reached its point: the actual target of the attempted overthrow,
instigated by CIA, were the Turkish military, out of fear that they
would hamper the “Greater Middle East” project.

“My view is that the CIA was behind the coup,” Turker Erturk told Sputnik Turkiye.
“The major blow was delivered at the Turkish military. And the coup
attempt was a success, in a sense that certain aims pursued by some
certain forces, have been reached.”
The retired Admiral further explained that the attempt turned out to
be a failure for the supporters of the Gulen Movement, led by Turkish
opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, but for the CIA, which was “pulling
the Gulen supporters by the strings” it was a success because the actual
purpose of the attempt was to paralyze the Turkish military, disempower
them and spoil their image.
“Why has the CIA done it?” he asked himself. He then replied:

“They wanted to hit the Turkish Armed Forces
out of fear that Turkey, especially after normalizing its relationship
with Russia, could hamper the creation of the so-called Kurdish corridor
they are trying to set up in the north of Syria. And it’s all part
of the 'Greater Middle East' project.”

Turker
Erturk explained that under this project, they don’t want the forces
which oppose the setup of hegemony in the Middle East to be present
in the region, where Turkey, Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria are the key
nations.

Hence they try to polarize the key players
according to ethnic or religious criteria. And the high-ranking
American officials are openly saying: do what you want, but without an
attack on the Turkish military; it is impossible to implement the part
of the project which involves Turkey.

The first blow, he says, was leveled by the court trials
“Sledgehammer” and “Ergenekon.” And the recent attempt comes as the
second blow under the very same project.

Its purpose was to deliver a fatal blow to the
image and influence of the Turkish Armed Forces, who tried to hamper the
“revamping of the region in a new way.” It was a success: the Turkish
Armed Forces have been practically destroyed.

Turker Erturk claims that the "imperialist forces" did not actually
want to see Erdogan ousted. They actually wanted a coup attempt
to weaken the power of the military, factor them out of the active
ongoing processes, and liquidate the mere opportunity that Ankara would
pose a threat to projects aimed against Syria, Iraq and Russia, as well
as projects aimed at breaking down Turkey.

“This is why I am saying that the coup has
failed but the coup attempt has reached its goal,” the retired Turkish
Admiral told Sputnik.

“If
the imperialistic forces really wanted to oust Erdogan with the help
of a successful coup, why would they need Gulen supporters?” he
wondered.
“They would have set the Armed Forces leadership against him,
everything would have been done with insubordination, and the coup would
have been a 100 percent success,” he explained.
Turker Erturk thus summarized that the final objective had not been a
coup and the ouster of Erdogan, but an attempted coup which was
designed to fail, delivering a hurtful blow at the Turkish Armed Forces,
depriving them of public support and spoiling their image. It was a
success, he concluded.

Dramatic developments in Turkey reverberated across the Aegean on Monday as eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece as the army attempted to overthrow the government in Ankara appeared in court charged with illegally entering the country.
Two days after landing a Black Hawk helicopter in the border town of
Alexandroupoli, the military personnel, who have sought refuge in Greece, were given until Thursday to prepare for a trial that has unsettled officials in both countries.
Calling for their extradition, Turkey’s government has been quick to brand them traitors.
“They fear for their lives and do not believe they will be given a
fair trial there,” said Vasiliki Marinaki, one of three Greek lawyers
representing the men. “They insist they were not involved in the coup,”
she added, saying that the officers had been on a mission to save
wounded civilians when they decided to flee after coming under police
fire.
The eight, who had initially removed the insignia from their uniforms
but have since been identified as two colonels, four captains and two
sergeants, left court handcuffed to each other in pairs.

Marinaki said she had asked that all eight remain in detention for security reasons.
The sight of the Black Hawk not only entering Greek airspace but
requesting to make an emergency landing after issuing a May Day alert
unnerved the leftist-led Athens government and military top brass, who
immediately demanded the scrambling of F-16 fighter jets.
Though Nato allies, the two countries are also long-time regional
foes that have clashed over Cyprus and come close to war on numerous
occasions. This is the first time Turkish military personnel have
requested asylum in Greece.
The attempted coup had barely been foiled when Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, called the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, to demand that the men be speedily returned.

“Politically and diplomatically it is a hot potato for Greece,” the
defence expert Thanos Dokos told the Guardian. “This is a government
that is sensitive to human rights issues but also knows that the cost of
not sending them back could be great. Ultimately much will depend on
whether the death penalty is reinstated [in Turkey].”
With officials in crisis-hit Greece also concerned about the ability
of Turkish authorities to stop new waves of migrants pouring into the
country following the coup, Athens has attempted to walk a middle line.
On Monday, the deputy defence minister, Dimitris Vitsas, insisted
that while the asylum requests had to be dealt with under international
law, Turkey had a strong argument for their extradition because the
officers were accused of participating in an attempt to overthrow a
democratically elected government.

The ex-commander of the Turkish Air Force has pleaded guilty to organizing the coup attempt, Anadolu news agency reported.

"I started to act aiming to stage a coup," Akin Ozturk said during the interrogation.

Ozturk was the commander of the Turkish Air Force from 2013 until 2015.
Earlier, Akin Ozturk, who is the leader of the military coup attempt in Turkey and the former commander of the country's air force, was detained in Turkey.

According
to Sabah newspaper, Ozturk may be linked to Turkish Islamic scholar
Fethullah Gulen staying in self-imposed exile in the United States, who
was blamed by Ankara for the attempted coup.
Late on Friday, Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup
is taking place in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
urged Turkish citizens to take to streets, stating that the coup attempt
was carried out by a small group within the military.
The coup attempt was suppressed by early Saturday, with Turkish Prime
Minister Binali Yildirim stating that all coup supporters have been
detained and the country is returning to normal life.
Some 208 people were killed and over a thousand wounded in a coup
attempt by a faction in the military on Friday. Turkish authorities have
arrested over thousands of people, including a number of high-ranking
military officials in connection with the failed coup.

UPDATE:
USA-W has just named Pyrros Dimas, the most decorated weightlifting
Olympian of all time, as technical director for USA-W. In his new role,
he will serve as both head coach to USA-W’s elite athletes as well as
work with the national coaching staff to prepare the USA for
international success. Read on to learn more about Pyrros Dimas from
what he shared during the Q and A session the USA-W Olympic trials this
past May.

The following is a guest post by Dane Miller, owner
of “Garage Strength: The World’s Fittest Strength Farm.” Dane is one of
the best up and coming weightlifting coaches in the United States, as
well as a coach for track and field and a strength coach for wrestlers.
He has developed some of the best youth lifters who have gone on to
perform well on the senior national stage, including Hayley Reichardt
who placed 2nd in the 48kg division at US Senior Nationals and Jacob
Horst, the Senior National champion at 62kg. He also is the coach for
US American record holder, Norik Vardanian, and recently coached five
athletes at the United States Olympic Trials for track and field in
Eugene, Oregon. He is the only coach in the United States to have
coached an athlete at the Olympic Trials in both weightlifting and track
and field. He also owns Earth Fed Muscle, a protein supplement company. (Use code “BarbellPress” for 5% off all products).

Pyrros Dimas

When Pyrros Dimas was a child in Greece, he would climb
trees in order to pick fruit for himself. One time he was caught
climbing aneighbor’s tree
and like any child would be, he was frightened and readied himself for a
scolding. Instead, the neighbor, who recognized his strength, suggested
he get into weightlifting.

Though he played many sports as a child, such as soccer,
Dimas soon recognized that his talent lies in weightlifting and he
decided to pursue it seriously. His intention, at the time, was simply
to improve his snatch technique.

Technical development is the most crucial aspect of
training for a young lifter. Because of this, Dimas spent his early
years (from age 7 until age 19) focused primarily on developing a
greater understanding of the movements. He followed a Russian program
focused on volume and variation in his lifts. In fact, it wasn’t until
he was 19 that he began to lift heavy weights in training. His training
intensified and rather than focusing on volume, he hit many heavy
singles in training.

As a youth lifter, he competed in the 67kg class, snatched
140, and clean and jerked 167. By 17, his body had matured and he moved
up to the 75kg class As a result, he accomplished 145kg in the snatch
and 185kg in the clean and jerk.

Perhaps the most positive influence on his training was
the addition of his training partner, Kakhi Kakhiashvili, who moved from
Georgia in the then USSR to Greece where Dimas trained. Lifters tend to
spend more time with their teammates than they often get to spend with
their wife and children. Positive relationships, thus, are essential to
the athletic development of lifters.

Around the same time, Dimas switched from primarily split
jerking to competing with the power jerk. This was never his intention,
but he had already trained the power jerk in order to develop a stronger
split jerk. His coach recognized that he was a better power jerker and
thus, he adopted this style of jerking. Suddenly, training became even
more enjoyable.

But even still, there were times when he questioned his
dedication. The road to success in this sport demands a great deal of
mundane repetition in training. There were many times when he
contemplated quitting in order to live a more “normal” lifestyle. Yet,
it was his love for competition which kept him involved in the sport.
Nothing could beat the feeling of chalking his hands and approaching the
bar in front of spectators.

One of his inspirations was Yuri Vardanian. From a young
age, he was in awe of the way Vardanian smiled as he held so much weight
overhead. The strength and control that Vardanian exhibited during
competition was both fascinating and inspiring. Thus, as Dimas grew in
the sport, he drew upon the same Vardanian-like theatrics in order to
intimidate his opposition.

Looking back, he reflected upon the importance of his
relationship with his coach. Though at times he enjoyed irritating his
coach with his attempts to gain more control over his own training
regimen, he always respected his coach and allowed him the final say
regarding both training and competitions.

Clearly his coach made effective decisions because Dimas
had incredible numbers in training. At a bodyweight of 92kg, he was able
to front squat 292kg and back squat 325kg. However, in hindsight, he
wishes he hadn’t trained with such heavy squats as he would have
preferred to have spent more time improving his technique in the lifts
instead. Even still, his best snatch in training was 190kg with straps
and his best clean and jerk was 220kg. His best clean was 225kg.

Of course, it is not his training numbers, but rather his
impressive accomplishments on the Olympic platform that made Pyrros
Dimas a legend. When competing, he always cut to an 83 (which was a
weight class of the time). To cut, he would change his eating habits a
few weeks out from competition so that he would be able to lose 5-6
kilos but still feel strong. He liked to eat a small bowl of rice and
chicken with a little bit of gravy and salt leading up to a competition.
While cutting, he drank water with vitamin C to maintain his energy
levels and ate bananas to prevent cramping.

Once competition day arrived, he followed a very specific
routine in order to ensure that he did his best. Leading up to a meet,
he would wait to shave his face until the competition day arrived. Also,
he would bring his bag of “lucky charms.” Among his “lucky charms” was
an article of his daughters’ clothing which reminded him of why he was
competing.

In order to focus, he did not talk to anyone on the day of
competition, but instead, spent his time visualizing his success. He
imagined all of his lifts and the feeling of being successful after each
attempt. To Dimas, this routine was just as important as the training
that led up to competition, and he stressed that every competitor should
have their own way of preparing.

His preparation was effective as he won three Olympic golds and three World Championships. His loss to Shahin Nassirinaat
the 1999 World Championship was not for lack of preparation, but rather
because he was battling a shoulder injury that required him to fly to
New York City in search of the best medical care available. Even with
such an injury, he took second place and after the World Championships
ended, he was able to rehabilitate his shoulder in time to win the 2000
Olympics in Sydney.

In fact, he took gold in three of the four Olympics he
participated in which makes him the most decorated weightlifting
Olympian of all time. It was in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens,
Greece, his home country, that he finished third. By these games, he had
already had his fair share of injuries and was thirty-three years of
age, which is relatively old in the world of weightlifting. Despite
placing third, the experience was tremendously moving as he competed at
the highest level possible in front of his home crowd. For Dimas, this
was the highlight of his career.

The toughest battle for Dimas was his retirement. After so
many years of being an elite athlete earning Olympic and World medals
for his country, he found himself irritable and depressed. Without
weightlifting, he struggled to find what would make him happy.
Eventually he came to realize that there is life beyond weightlifting
and his joy came from spending time with his family.And of course, he still finds his way to the gym where he lifts for sheer enjoyment these days.

The McKenna’s Gym Family meets Dimas.Reflections: It was incredible that USA
Weightlifting was able to bring Pyrros Dimas to the Olympic trials.
Anyone who is interested in weightlifting is aware of his ability and
his past performances. During the question and answer session, he was
open to sharing information and even fielded a question regarding the
current socio-economic situation that Greece and the Greek people are
currently facing. It was refreshing to hear that one of the best
lifters to have ever walked the planet struggled with the same issues
that American lifters do. It was impressive that Dimas was critical of
his own training despite being a multi-time World Champion, a three-time
Olympic champion and four-time Olympic medalist. He still critically
analyzed his training and reflected upon how his training could have
been improved just as all athletes should do. This question and answer
session at the Olympic trials is one thing I will never forget!

Sunday, July 17, 2016

At
least 42 helicopters have gone missing from Turkey's military inventory
in the wake of the failed coup attempt on Friday evening causing
concern that there may be another act to the attempted overthrow of
Erdogan.

CNN
Turk anchor Serdar Tuncer reports that at least 42 helicopters have
gone missing from the Turkish military inventory and says concern is
brewing that another coup effort may soon be underway.
"It is as though this rogue will try more things. Can they succeed? No! But will they try?" said the reporter.
Unrest continues in Turkey in the wake of Friday's failed coup
attempt that left at least 265 dead and over 2000 people wounded, most
of whom were civilians answering the call of President Erdogan to put
down the coup attempt.

​The Turkish government asserts that it has retained full-control
of the government and has begun a "systematic purge of the military." On
Saturday, the government rounded up over 6,000 individuals who will
face prosecution under the country's treason laws with President Erdogan
refusing to rule out applying a death sentence to the traitors. The
arrested include 2,745 judges and over 2,800 soldiers in the Turkish
military including Erdogan's top military adviser.

The US State Department cautions that the situation in Turkey remains
unstable in the wake of the failed coup plot and warns foreign
travelers against visiting the country citing an increased terror threat
as chaos ensues across the country.
NATO also maintains roughly 90 tactical nuclear weapons at the
Incirlik Air Base, from where the 42 helicopters have gone missing,
causing concern about the security of US weapons in Turkey and raising
the specter that terrorists may ultimately be able to get their hands
on advanced weaponry or potentially a nuclear bomb.

Turkish
officials threaten to go to war with “any country” supporting exiled
cleric Fethullah Gulen, the alleged mastermind of the coup plot, which
would put the US right in Ankara’s crosshairs.

Prime
Minister Binali Yildirim threated to go to war with any country that
would "stand by" exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a resident
of Pennsylvania in the United States who Washington refuses to extradite
citing a lack of evidence that he was behind the attempted overthrow
of the Erdogan government.

This appears to be a pointed threat against the
United States with an implicit demand that Washington must extradite
Gulen or face Ankara’s wrath. The provocative comments came
after Turkish Labor Minister Suleyman Soylu shocked the world
by accusing the America of manufacturing the overthrow effort.

"The US is behind the coup attempt. A few journals that are published
there [in the US] have been conducting activites for several months.
For many months we have sent requests to the US concerning Fethullah
Gulen. The US must extradite him," said the Labor Minister in a
statement.
Secretary of State John Kerry responded by saying that Turkey has
failed to provide sufficient evidence for the Obama administration
to even consider their request to extradite the cleric. He also went
on to condemn Ankara’s provocative statements saying that remarks
alleging US involvement do serious harm to relations between the two
countries.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that during a conversation
on Saturday evening with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavosoglu, the
Secretary of State warned Turkey to never make such an accusation.

"He made clear that the United States would be
willing to provide assistance to Turkish authorities conducting this
investigation, but the public insinuations or claims about any role
by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and
harmful to our bilateral relations," said Kirby.

The cleric allegedly behind the overthrow effort has also strongly condemned the coup.

"I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup
in Turkey. Government should be won through a process of free and fair
elections, not force," said Gulen to the New York Times. "As someone who
suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it
is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an
attempt. I categorically deny such accusations."
Gulen later questioned whether the failed coup attempt was a
legitimate effort to overthrow the government or political theater
at the hands of Erdogan.

The situation for the United States is now as perilous as ever
with Turkey in possession of roughly 90 US tactical nuclear weapons that
are stored at the Incirlik Air Base. Turkish officials have blocked
access to the air base and the commander in charge of securing those
weapons was arrested on Sunday.

Turkish
military coup supporters have seized Yavuz frigate and taken head of
Turkish fleet as a hostage, CNN Turk reported on Saturday.

ATHENS (Sputnik) — The frigate was seized at the Golcuk naval base on the east shore of the Marmara Sea, according to CNN Turk. The Turkish government warned of the possibility of repeated attempts to take over.
Earlier, a Turkish helicopter allegedly carrying several coup supporters landed in Greece, according to local TV ERT.

Late on Friday, Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup is taking place
in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Turkish
citizens to take to streets, stating that the coup attempt was carried
out by a small group within the military.
The coup attempt was reportedly suppressed by early Saturday,
with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stating that all coup
supporters have been detained and the country is returning to normal
life.
In total, over 180 were killed and 1470 were injured during the events, while nearly 3,000 people have been detained, according to the prime minister.

The Panepirotic Federation of America vehemently condemns the brutal destruction by Albanian authorities on August 26 of a Greek Orthodox Church in the Chimara region of the former Communist nation that once prohibited all forms of religious worship. The Church of St. Athanasius in the town of Drymades, known in Albanian as Dhermi, was completely destroyed by government agents acting on the authority of Albania’s Interior Ministry.

Petitioning European Council

The land in Himara belongs to the people of Himara! Land and property registration NOW! Signe now this petition to the European Councile, for the registration of properties to the only and single eligible owner: the PEOPLE of Himara.

Himara Community of USA, Addresses Himarra Property Issues with US State Department / Ambassador

The Honorable John F. Kerry Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to inform you of issues affecting United States citizens who have vested interests in the municipality of Himarra, Albania, and to express our concern about their long outstanding and unresolved problems regarding property rights. Over 1500 US citizens of Himarrioton descent are disenfranchised of their rights to the ownership of their family properties which were confiscated in 1945 by the communist regime. They have been attempting to claim their family properties since the end of the communist period without success due to the laws and policies of the Albanian government which a) fail to address ownership rights of pre-1945 landowners, b) fail to address the rights of owners who were forced to emigrate to the United States for economic or political reasons, and c) fail to address the rights of those with dual citizenship who have attempted to claim their properties as Albanian citizens.

Opinion - Kisha Autoqefale dhe Greqia! (14 tetor 2013)

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Officially: Omonoia, In Albania over 300.000 Greeks declared

30 % or 86,000, are declared electronically and this process includes 85 % of the members of the Greek minority Vlora Prefecture is the mostly populated by Greeks, there are about 90. 000 Greeks. TIRANA - Democratic Union of the Greek Ethnic Minority, Omonoia publishes the results of the census of members of the Ethnic Greek Community, organized by it structures. The Prime Census, was the decision of the General Council of the organization as members argued for exclusion of the Greek minority in the months Census October 2011, organized by the Institute of Statistics .

The history of elections of the Albanian dictator, to terrorize the people of Himara

A special Edition by SManalysis December 2, 1945: The Himariotes, abstaining from communist referendum, as happens usually for Himara the Albanian historians, never wrote this tragic history. Nikos Koutoulas, who boldly told the special communist court: "I'm Greek . I do not know Albanian, get me a interpret!" Still now, Albania never hold free politic elections, including Himara Municipality

Albanian Writer Raises Storm in Kosovo

Kosovo officials have rounded on Albanian writer Fatos Lubonja for saying that the political elites in both countries turned a blind eye to the crimes of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA. Besar Likmeta BIRN Tirana Albanian writer Fatos Lubonja In the article published in the May edition of the magazine Sudosteuropa, Lubonja focused on the reaction of Albania’s political class to the acquittal of the former KLA commander and Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj by the Hague Tribunal. Lubonja wrote that following Haradinaj’s release, the elite in Pristina and Tirana celebrated him as a hero, despite having enough information that the charges brought by prosecutors in the Hague were correct.

As long as human rights and civil liberties are violated in Himara Region primarily property, Greec

Himara Associations: Athens to block the status of Albania, if Tirana, does not solve the property issue Two associations based in Himara, "The Himara Community" and "Sea Coastal Association" have asked in a statement distributed to the media this afternoon that Greece "should block the candidate status for Albania" if Tirana, will not solve the problems of Human Rights and particularly the issue of the properties in Himara Region. The statement takes into consideration the visit Tirana following day of E.Venizelos the Greek Deputy Prime Minister also heads the Presidency of the European :

Albania minorities object to territorial division

Albania's civil society is calling on officials to diffuse tensions and protect minorities from discrimination and potential violence as a result of the decision to scrap the existing municipalities and create a new territorial administration. The government reduced the 384 local government units to 65, effectively creating entirely Albanian-majority municipalities. Greek, Macedonian and other minority representatives said the government's move violates their rights and international norms.

Poll: Albania, the most racist country in Europe

An international survey data from the World Value Survey collected and processed by the Washington Post reveals that Albania is the most racist country in Europe and worldwide more racists. The survey attempts to make a connection between economic development and being tolerant inside a society with ethnic crashes.. Thus, the most tolerant countries in the world are the Nordic countries, Great Britain and some of its former colonies, the United States, Canada and Australia. Countries with high tolerance are also in Latin America, where Venezuela exception.

Fatos Lobonja: Albania needs formatting not to rebirth

Fatos Lobonja, in an interview for the program "PULS" the KohaVision in Kosovo, there appeared criticism of developments in Albania. According Lubonja Albanians as a society still can not be consolidated. The reasons, according to him, are corrupt Albanian political elites on all sides, inside and abroad. He said they did not thirst for power leaves organize and move forward. Edi Rama's arrival at the head of government, according Lubonja, will not change the image of Albania, because Rama is associated with the oligarchs and organized crime. " He should answer that elite and non-citizens of Albania ", Lobonja estimates.

Nicholas Gage: Athens to give soon the Greek citizenship for thousand north epiriotes

World Council delegation of Epirus Abroad, meeting with the Ministry of Interior for the vote of northern epiriotes and the resolve the pension problem The visit of Nicholas Gage, is considering as the latest diplomatic effort of USA lobbing, for implementation of the "Protocol of Corfu" agreement, between Albania and Greece, based on the ulterior escalation in Balkan region. The Delegation of the World Council of Foreign Relation of Epirus (PSIE) headed by the Honorary President Nicolas Gkatzogianni, had a working meeting with the Greek Interior minister Stylianidis and v/ minister Syrigos.

Himariotes, lobbying in USA, for Autonomy

A group of people of Himara, with American citizenship, are lobbying to the US Congress and the State Department, that the Himara Region, receive the right for autonomy, according to international historical right to his self-determination. Proposed to merge all associations operating in USA, Greece and Albania, to be united in a single purpose: Autonomous Himara, Movements in the Balkans geopolitical, Mitrovica case, cutting pension from Greece, scarce public investment, robbery and illegal registration of property, etc., have raised a great concern, as never in the recent relationship of Himara, Albanian and Greek state relationship.

Pyrros Dimas, meeting with the Greek Minister of Labour, for problem of pensions to the Northern Ep

- Initiative of MP of PASOK, Pyrros Dimas for preparing and drafting a legislative proposal in collaboration with representatives of the Northern Epirus organizations. - The Minister agreed on the need to find a solution and urged the Member to develop concrete proposals, and that after consultation with the Secretary of the New Republic, Manolis Kefaloyiannis will be submitted jointly to the Minister of Finance.

"Kakome Case" again to the Albanian Tribunals

The Greek Community continues to "constant war" with the Albanian government to protect property. The apathy of Athens, to respond to the robbery of the properties in just the time, that OSCE, under the process of the registration of property in Ionian Coast, from European taxpayers, without any trasparence, is favoring according to Albanian law, alienation of property, of the Greek community , with the false documents.

Berisha: albanophobia threatens inter region

Berisha: "We must accept that they are the only people who live in 5 states. A nation that is unjustly divided into 5 states, a nation that wants to look to a common future. But again albanophobia is still in action " Albanian Prime Minister for the second time, threatening Greece, claiming that Albanians in Greece, should join the Albanian state.

NORTHERN EPIRUS THROUGH THE CENTURIES(LECTURE OF VASILIOS KYRANIS, Harvard University -1981) AL

Christos Pappas, in an interview with Arthur Zhei, News 24 TV

Pappas: "Northern Epirus is a region that holds arbitrary from Albania, as recognized by the great powers, the Protocol of Corfu. The Law of War against Albania, can not remove from Papoulias nor Greek parliament, but the Greek army is ready to liberate the Northern Epirus, again

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After a life threatening message to Archbishop Janullatos

42 Orthodox clergy against census and Red & Black Alliance: Janullatos has not afraid of death 42 Tirana archdiocese Orthodox clergy have reacted with a joint statement in defense of Anastasios Yannoulatos. Their attitude comes after strong reactions against the Red & Black Alliance, for Archbishop and after a census that sees Orthodox in third place in terms of religion in the country.

Albania: 100 years, Berisha plays 'great Albania' trump card

In Tirana Albanian leaders, tensions with Macedonia 28 November, 10:49 (ANSAmed) - TIRANA, NOVEMBER 28 - Albania's black and red national flag with a double-headed eagle is waving across the country which is celebrating today its 100th anniversary of independence in a tense political climate. The centre-right Premier Sali Berisha has been calling for days for an ethnic-national unification of all Albanians living in different Balkan states, in efforts to revive a strong nationalism which is rejected by Albania's opposition.

The Official Site of The Himara Community

CONTINUES THE DEBATE IN WASHINGTON D.C. FOR THE PROPERTY RIGHTS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS FROM NORTHERN

According to the Greek organisation of Albania estimates there are thousands of Greek American citizens from Northern Epirus (Southern Albania) which is refering the Journalist Lambros Papantoniou, asking the Spokesman of State Department for the rights of American citizens with Greek origin to take their properties in Southern Albania. Papantoniou is refereeing a Memo between Albanian State and USA about the civil rights especially for the properties of American citizens who are interested to take them according to Albanian Constitution and laws the properties of family generation. This is the second debate of the veteran Journalist for Balkan Issues in State Department Lambros Papantoiou who accuses over all the Sali Berisha Regim in Albania supported by the President Bush.

A Response to AFP

SManalysis Orthodox churches of Albania, are Byzantine churches, belong to the property of the population of Epirus.....

Avramopoulos`s speach during NATO meeting

Greece threatens Albania blocking the integration process after Berisha's statements Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, has expressed his concern at the NATO ministerial meeting about rising tide of nationalism in Albania and premature declarations of the government. In a press release the Greek Foreign Ministry said that "the growth of nationalism and populism in some of our neighboring countries is a source of great concern."

The U.S. talk of "change of borders in the Balkans"

Message-warning sent to Albania by the U.S. representative to the State Department, which in a statement said that any change of borders in the Balkans "would be counterproductive and destabilizing," but the issue is that for the first time put the U.S. even and negative mood on any change of borders in the Balkans ...

INUK në Vlorë, pronarët: Me dokumenta të rregullta dhe leje ndërtimi

ENIKOS.GR

GREEK NEWS FROM NIKO`S BLOG

PREMIUM, THE GREEK TRASFORMATION

The "Kissinger Plan": Confederations Macedonia, Epirus, Thrache,

THE BIG CHANGE IN PERIVOLO, DRYMADES, HIMARA REGION

Dhermi, (Drymades, Himara Region) between natural beauty and destruction Look at those videos, before in 2010, everything natural and in 2012 the differences, the big changes how are divided Mafia plots, see whose investments are shown, with the camera of a sportsman parachute, in Long Beach "Perivolo" in Dhrymades, the Himara Region. Look at how this summer 2012, the Concessions of Mafia provided by The Himara Counsil Municipality and the Government of Albania, have become a reality. The Sand Beach Drymades, is transformed in the sidewalks and kiosks. See how they are transformed Dhermi, in a few years, in an administrative center, disrupting also balance the religious and ethnic composition of himariotes.

Robert Elsie: If I would live in Albania, it would be crazy. It is the same as in Ottoman times

After known albanolog Milan Shufla, Robert Elsie is the best conteproranean albanian albanolog in the World During his intereweu on "Top Channely TV, Robert Elsie, on his first interview on TV. expresed his story about Albanian and Albanian state in 100 years. An interesting tale scholar known for his work difficulties in view of the Albanian language. Elsie, who knows Albanians for years, amounts to a chilling conclusion. He says he will not ever live in Albania, as it will go mad. "I can not live here. It's a little wild for me, the relationships between people are a bit wild. I know that is just a facade that inside have good spirit, but have a rabies in human relations. You know how to protect yourself here, and here I am like a rabbit, he can not defend myself. I come here with pleasure, but do not believe they can afford to come and live here forever. There is much frustration of everyday life. Life is too short and I do not have time to bump into obstacles, only to achieve something, when in another country and get away and then live my life, "said Elsie to Albanian. And while Enver Hoxha's Albania as compared with that of Sali Berisha, adds: "There is something that depends only on the party, it's more the attitude of the people. So to get something going, you have to know someone in the Ministry, to drink coffee with, then drink coffee again next week with even a third time, and then he connects with the person that you are interested . That is the same as in Ottoman times, not like a normal country. ".

Separatists gaining ground in Europe

Greece, is going to Plan B: grant for 600 thousand Greek citizenship, at the Consulates

Failure of the Census in Albania, apparently, has forced Athens, put in place, going to Plan B to its foreign policy, grant citizenship to all Hellenic Community of Northern Epirus (Greek passports) through three Greek consulates in Albania. According to “The Albanian newspaper Gazeta Shqiptare”, in a statement issued by the Greek Consul in Argjirokaster, Nikolaos Kotroxois, will begin soon, giving the Greek passports to Albanian citizens of Greek descent, who have applied for years. The decision is taken, after Athens, has used all diplomatic sources to have to Tirana, the same wavelength, particularly in geopolitical matters, particularly Kosovo. In his statement, the Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas, noted, that Tirana, continues to show towards Greece, feeling not sincere cooperation, while simultaneously calling for the right to self-determination of the Greek community in Albania.

BERISHA: GREATER ALBANIA, WE LOST TERRITORIES

he Albanian Prime Minister held a meeting with Prishtina University students, in which he argued why he is against the unification of Albania with Kosovo and why both countries would lose, if borders would be changed. “The vital interest of the Albanians is to preserve the current borders, and the Albanians should not accept, at any cost, to lose a single square meter of the land they are entitled to. Another redraw of the borders would mark undeserved losses of the Albanian territories. We must be patient, free, and should not undertake any action that threatens territorial losses. Every generation has to make its duty, and this generation made it”, Berisha declared.

Dimas:"The Greek ethnic Community in Albania has the right of free of charge self-determination"

The reliability of the results of population census in Albania, in terms of minority groups, directly challenging the foreign minister Stavros Dimas, diaminyontas same time that the Respect for human and minority rights is … crucial criterion for the progress of the accession method of our neighbor. In a letter sent to the Home in response to a question from a Member of LA.OS K. Aivaliotis, Dimas says that “the foreign ministry has closely followed all the developments surrounding the census in Albania, even though produced timely plays, both bilateral and European level to make sure the integrity process and unimpeded registration of members of the Greek National Minority, and each location of residence of such ». As outlined, the “Selection of the representatives of the main minority groups, including the Greek National Minority, invite their members to abstain in protest not guaranteed to respect the right of free of charge self-determination, showed a significant deficit of trust minority in the Albanian state, which ought to itself the Albanian government to address priority ».

The Constitutional Court Decision on December 1, the Latter abolished the term Ethnic certificate of Its Citizens. In the Decision, panels argues why the notion of "nationality" is incompatible with the constitution When Its state charter law does not provid a clear definition of Its meaning. In Assessing the Court, "nationality" as defined concept without, unlike Other components of civil law does not Create a link that 'translates the Mutual rights and duties of Natural Persons and state.

While the total population in Himara Municipality, does not exceed 12 thousand inhabitants, a source from the prosecution of Vlora, shows that the problems of ownership at the squirrels region have reached the 7500 court proceedings and special investigations, which marks a world record, by how a country like Albania, could not manage the right of ownership, in one of the areas attacked by the Albanian mafia and international. However, the U.S. Department Report for 2004 on human rights in Albania, states clearly that in the Himara Municipality, the community lands and the Orthodox Church, was robbed by a Courts with false documents, supported by the Office of Propetry Registration in Albania.

Arben Puto: Albania has declared war against Greece first

In his book "The Italian Greek War", Arben Puto, well known historian of the era of dictatorship in Albania, writes that: "In a unanimous decision of the Albanian Parliament on July 15, 1940, was ratified, the Italian Fascist royal decree, which declared all war allies France and Britain, including the USA and Greece. So need to Albanians, to be aware that Greece was not declared war Albania, but Albania, with military battalions that attacked Greece on 28 October 1940 ".

WB returns to Ionian Riviera residence reconstruction

Another World Bank project is being executed with the help of the Albanian authorities for the reconstruction of the residences in Albania’s southern coastline. The 625.000 USD project aims to protect and promote the values of the Albanian national architecture in the Southern part of the country, in order to prevent destruction and abandonment of the traditional houses. “Shqip” newspapers says that the Ministry of Public Works is the WB partner in the “Roofs and Facades” project. The implementation of the program has started in the villages classified as participators: Dhermi i Vjeter, Qeparo i Vjeter, Ilias, Vuno, Himare e Vjeter, Piqeras, Nivice and Luksht. The World Bank will finance 70% of the restauration cost, with a maximum of 7000 USD, while the program “Accommodation and Breakfast” will finance 50 of the restoration cost, with a maximum of 5,000 USD. The program “Roofs and Facades” aims to restore 72 houses in 18 months. 20 of them will adopt with the conditions of modern life, in the framework of the program “Accommodation and Breakfast”.

In Albania, at 20 years post-dictatorship, 8 thousands murders, for the issue of property

The shocking data, are given by the Prosecutor General, to the Albanian press Shocking facts which, in the wake of Albania rank Civil War, the high level of killings, including the year 1997 Through the Albanian press, Attorney General, has published shocking facts about the increasing number of murders in Albania, especially for issues of ownership. Clic on photo ....

Himara 26 centuries, a history of glorious Independence

HIMARA, THE NEXT MONTE CARLO`S IN EPIRUS

First step to Greater Albania: Kosovo Opens First Highway Section

A 38 kilometre-tranche of the road, which will eventually cross the country from the Albanian to Serbian border, was opened on Saturday. The first section, which runs from Vermica on the Albanian border to close to the town of Suhareka, cost 330 million euro. Senior Kosovo and Albania government officials were present at the inauguration ceremony. In a speech, Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga said that the "highway has the role of linking nations and countries". "It is our link with important European corridors. Our coordinated policy will make us a free and equal members of the European Union," she added. Named the "Ibrahim Rugova Highway", after Kosovo's most famous president, the road connects with Albania's first highway, which was also built by the Turkish-American consortium Bechtel-Enka.

George Goro: Registration of properties on the southern coast of Albania faces difficulties

The process of registration of property in southern coastal areas of Albania is getting quite difficult. Mayor George Himara Goro says it has so far only completed the registration of houses and land but not land. Problems with documentation and the implementation of the Land Law difficult, according to him, residents in this process.

The Monument of Independence of Albania, is in hassle

PDIU Cam Community Party, the Socialist Party's local leader in Vlora, and "Red & Black Alliance", are making a nationalistic competition, the Monument of Independence and the Albanian national flag. Few days ago, Prime Minister Sali Berisha, said the establishment of a new monument to the independence of Albania in Tirana, implying, dismiss the historical tradition of Albanian independence in Vlora.

Himarrioton Society of America

The Himarriotans of America, motivated by the love of Himarra, the land of their native origin, and dedicated to the noblest ideals of their forfathers, have established this organization which aspires to the cultivation and preservation of Himarriotic culture in America, to making a positive difference in the lives of its members, and to promoting the rights and interests of the Himarriotans in Himarra, through the realization of patriotic, charitable, philanthropic, educational and cultural endeavors.

Opinion in Kosovo: "Socialists in Albania, are filo Greek"

The Chairman of the Opposition in Albania, Edi Rama, accused by the press in Kosovo that "he is with filo Greek sentiments" If, Sali Berisha, Albania's current prime minister, is expected both in Macedonia and Kosovo, as president of the Albanian nation, this has not happened with the chairman of the opposition in Albania, Edi Rama. During a recent visit to Kosovo, Edi Rama is unpopular, the fact that the perception of public opinion in Kosovo, is that the south, is the area close to Greece, but especially Rama and the Socialist Party, was accused of holding a position filo Greek, against the interests of Greater Albania.